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Leaders take a hit; Hampton survives
LUT WILLIAMS Four teams went into games over the last week undefeated in league play. Only one kept its record clean. Clark-Atlanta started the week with the best record in the men's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference but finished at the bottom of the conference standings. Division leaders in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association lost eight and ten-game winning streaks.
LONE SURVIVOR Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's leader Hampton not only got wins over South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T to stretch its league mark to 15-0, but clinched its second straight regular season title Monday when second-place Delaware State dropped a 69-62 decision at Florida A&M. Hampton has a four-game lead with just three conference games left. Steve Merfeld's Pirates (21-5) need wins in those final three games to finish as the first mens' team to go undefeated in the MEAC since Coppin State's 1993-94 squad. To do so they'll have to win Thursday at Delaware State (14-10, 11-4) and Monday at Howard (14-11, 9-6), the second and third-place teams respectively before closing out the regular season Sat., March 2 at Norfolk State. VICTIMS The Lady Bison of Howard were waylaid Monday in pursuit of an unblemished record in MEAC women's play. But they still clinched at least a tie for the regular season crown. After surviving 69-66 against Florida A&M in Tallahassee Saturday to get to 14-0, the Lady Bison were ambushed 77-62 by the Lady Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman Monday in Daytona Beach. Losses by S. C. State and Hampton gave Cathy Parson's Lady Bison (15-9, 14-1) a three-game lead with just three games left, all on their home court in Washington, D.C. The Lady Bison face Norfolk State Saturday, Hampton Monday and finish up with Delaware State on March 2. Facing its closest pursuers on the road is exactly what derailed Alcorn State's chances of being the sixth team in Southwestern Athletic Conference men's history to run the table. Dave Whitney's Braves were held up in Alabama after 13 straight SWAC wins. The Braves (14-9, 13-2) lost 73-59 at Alabama State Saturday and dropped a 91-86 decision at Alabama A&M Monday. Alabama State is second in the SWAC at 10-4 while Alabama A&M is third at 9-5. The Braves will try to regroup Saturday at Southern before finishing the regular season at home against Texas Southern (2/25) and Prairie View (3/2). The Jaguars of Southern had their 17-game overall winning streak and stretch of 14 straight SWAC victories snapped Monday at Alabama State 65-64. Sandy Pugh's Southern squad (20-4, 14-1) has a two-and-a-half game lead over Grambling and Alabama State, who are both at 11-3. Southern is at Alcorn State Saturday and and closes the regular season with home dates against Prairie View (2/28) and Texas Southern (3/2).
FIRST TO WORST The SIAC announced last week that Clark-Atlanta, then in first place in the conference standings, would have to forfeit seven (7) games for using two ineligible players. Additional penalties and sanctions have been levied by the conference against the school. The forfeitures involve wins in six conference and one non-conference games. The players, seniors Xavier Morton and Kenny Myers, participated in ten games but three resulted in losses. The violations involve academic eligibility and were self-reported by Clark-Atlanta. The outcome knocked CAU to the bottom of the conference standings and created a logjam at the top. After results from games Saturday and Monday, Paine (11-5) emerged on top of the conference with Morehouse (11-6), Kentucky State (10-6), LeMoyne Owen (10-6) and Miles (10-6) lurking just behind with a week left in the regular season.
CLASSIC FINISH A possible prelude to the March 2 CIAA Tournament final game ended in classic fashion Saturday in Raleigh. CIAA division leaders Johnson C. Smith and Shaw played to a 99-99 tie before Shaw forward Kenyon Booker drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bears a 102-99 win, snapping the Golden Bulls' eight-game winning streak. Not only was the finish classic, but so was the play of guards Ronald Murray of Shaw and Antoine Sims of JCSU. Sims tallied 41 points, including eight three-pointers, while Murray had 29 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists. The two are likely to share the CIAA player of the year award. Bowie State (18-7, 8-1), fresh off a win over Shaw that tied them for the CIAA E. Div. lead, was beaten Monday in a non-conference game at Cheyney, 70-65. The loss ends a ten-game win streak for the Bulldogs and deals a serious blow to their NCAA playoff hopes. © 2002 Azeez Communications, Inc.
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